Covering topics on religion, philosophy and life, this blog attempts to make biblical truths simple for the average believer. As porridge is soft to aid digestion, so the blog contents are easily understood.
However, there is also meaty stuff for those who aspire to go deeper. The relevance of the Bible in our daily life (areas such as finances, sex, marriage, health and emotional healing) is also dealt with.

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Wednesday, 27 February 2013

More than ever before we need to be like the Bereans in our approach to understanding the truth. Like a parachute, our mind works only when it is open.

Why is Acts 17:11rendered
differently in different versions of the Bible?

"Now
the Bereans were of more noble characterthan
the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (NIV).

"And
the people of Berea were more open-mindedthan
those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They
searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching
the truth" (NLT).

How
do we resolve these differences above (in red)?

Being open-minded is part and parcel of being noble. It suggests that one is receptive and
attentive to teaching. However, this doesn't mean the message received won't be subjected to intensive scrutiny against the
objective Word of God.

Open-mindedness is not synonymous with syncretism and compromise. It does not mean one accepts all kinds of teaching, no matter how wayward or erroneous they
may be. That's blind faith.

"Faith is good only when it engages truth; when it is made to
rest upon falsehood it can and often does lead to eternal tragedy." – A. W. Tozer

First,
being open-minded means having a non-judgmental attitude
as we process the teaching material – being willing to listen or study the facts
of the matter without any pre-conceived ideas or prejudices.

Certainly, it is implied we are NOT intimidated by any
teacher, no matter how well-known, illustrious or respectable he or she may be.
We cannot say to ourselves or others, “Coming from this great man of God, it must be right.”
That is highly dangerous. That is NOT being open-minded. That is tantamount to prematurely forming our opinion before we have listened
to and investigated the validity of the message. No one is free from error, no matter how great he or she is.

Test
all things; hold fast what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Do not reject something without even considering.

One
of the hallmarks of a disciple is diligence in studying God’s word so that
we are approved by Him – not put to shame on account of our lack of
in-depth knowledge of scriptures.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a
worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2
Timothy 2:15) NKJV.

“Study to show thyself approved to God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Webster.

When
we are ill-equipped with the Word, we might fall prey to deception, being swept
by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). Once we are well prepared, we will
be able to judge and discern what has been taught against scripture (1 Corinthians
2:14-16).

RELATED POSTEIGHT WAYS TO FIGHT FALSE TEACHING

How to develop discernment and escape the clutches of destructive heresies

Barnes' Notes on the
BibleThe following notes, which reinforces the foregoing, will grant us greater understanding:

These
were more noble - εὐγενέστεροι eugenesteroi.
This literally means more noble by birth; descended from more illustrious
ancestors. But here the word is used to denotea quality of mind and heart. They
were more generous, liberal, and noble in their feelings; more disposed to inquire candidly into the truth of the
doctrines advanced by Paul and Silas. It is always proof of a noble,
liberal, and ingenuous disposition to be willing to
examine into the truth of any doctrine presented. The writer refers here
particularly to the Jews.

In
that - Because.

They
received the word ... - They listened attentively and
respectfully to the gospel. They did not reject and
spurn it as unworthy of examination. This is the first particular in
which they were more noble than those in Thessalonica.

And
searched the scriptures - That is, the Old
Testament. See the notes on John 5:39. The apostles always affirmed that the
doctrines which they maintained respecting the Messiah were in accordance with
the Jewish scriptures. The Bereans made diligent and
earnest inquiry in respect to this, and were willing
to ascertain the truth.

Daily - Not
only on the Sabbath, and in the synagogue, but they made it a daily employment.
It is evident from this that they had the Scriptures; and this is one proof
that Jewish families would, if possible, obtain the oracles of God.

Whether
those things were so - Whether the doctrines stated by
Paul and Silas were in accordance with the Scriptures. The
Old Testament they received as the standard of truth, and whatever could be
shown to be in accordance with that, they received. On this verse we may
remark:

(1)
That it is proof of true nobleness and liberality of
mind to be willing to examine the proofs of
the truth of religion. What the friends of Christianity have had most cause to
lament and regret is, that so many are unwilling to examine its claims; that
they spurn it as unworthy of serious thought, and condemn it without hearing.

(2)
the Scriptures should be examined daily. If we wish to arrive at the truth,
they should be the object of constant study.
That man has very little reason to expect that he will grow in knowledge and
grace who does not peruse, with candor and with prayer, a portion of the Bible
every day.

(3)
the constant searching of the Scriptures is the best
way to keep the mind from error. He who does not do it daily may expect
to "be carried about with every wind of doctrine," and to have no
settled opinions.

(4)
the preaching of ministers should be examined by the
Scriptures. Their doctrines are of no value
unless they accord with the Bible. Every preacher should expect his
doctrines to be examined in this way, and to be rejected if they are not in
accordance with the Word of God. The church, in proportion to its increase in
purity and knowledge, will feel this more and more; and it is an indication of advance in piety when people are increasingly
disposed to examine everything by the Bible. How immensely important,
then, is it that the young should be trained up to diligent habits of searching
the Word of God. And how momentous is the obligation of parents, and of Sunday
school teachers, to inculcate just views of the interpretation of the Bible,
and to form the habits of the rising generation, so that they shall be disposed
and enabled to examine every doctrine by the sacred oracles. The purity of the church depends on the extension of the spirit
of the noble-minded Bereans, and that spirit is to be extended in a very
considerable degree by the instrumentality of Sunday schools.

Tuesday, 26 February 2013

This is a very clear example of the "straw man"
fallacy:The
straw man fallacy occurs in the following pattern of argument:*Person
1 has position X.*Person
2 disregards certain key points of X and instead presents the superficially
similar position Y.The
position Y is a distorted version of X.*Person
2 attacks position Y, concluding that X is false/incorrect/flawed.

RS
picks up a line from JP's book without context, attack it vigorously, declares
it as flawed and amazingly PAL holds it up, see... sigh.Come
on... the Bereans "listened eagarly to Paul" directly, not 2nd hand
distorted messages.

Abbreviations:

JP Joseph Prince.

RS Roger Sapp

PAL Poh Ann, Lim

MY
RESPONSE:

Peter, as I mentioned earlier in my
blog, I hope that believers will
become more open-minded: Whenever they hear a message or read a Christian book,
they should learn how to judge wisely its contents against scripture.

All of us love God. We want to see truth upheld and His name
glorified.

Perhaps you might not know this: When I read the book, "Destined to Reign", a year ago its theology gave me an uncomfortable feeling. On 19th Feb, I posted in my blog:

So my opinions have already been
formed about this book even before I stumbled into RS’s Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYUKOtya_xs yesterday
(26th Feb). I didn’t just ride piggy back on someone else’s views.

When
a Christian author writes a book, he has to make sure that what he puts down is
able to stand the test of scripture, not just selected verses and passages but
the whole truth. Otherwise he might be inviting a barrage of comments.

Between
spoken and written word, the latter is more reliable and accurate. RS has
picked up what someone has written and given a specific reference (page,
line quoted) before he shows why such and such a position is not tenable.

As
the reference has already been clearly stated by RS, I cannot understand why
you bring up the term “straw man”. RS is not directing his comments against something
vague and nebulous.

Unlike
the believers of Berea, we are in a better position to judge the validity of a particular
teaching because it is often available in a well-recorded format (in this case,
a book or video) whereas the former could only judge based on Paul’s spoken
word (or hand-written manuscripts at best, if available).

We
are not the only ones who are able to judge whether the author or RS is right. Let
everyone read the book, watch the various YouTube videos (by RS pertaining to the
book and those by JP) and compare the contents of the book and video with scripture (Acts 17:11, 1 Cor.
2:14-16).

My hope is that Christians will become more open-minded: Whenever they hear a message or read a Christian book, they
should learn how to judge wisely its contents against scripture. May the Holy Spirit help us to discern truth from error.

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in
Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day
after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

(Acts 17:11).

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come
from the Spirit of Godbut considers
them foolishness,and cannot
understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.The person with the Spiritmakesjudgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely
human judgments,for,

Hyper-grace pastor Joseph Prince teaches that Christians do not need to confess their sins since God has already
forgiven their sins—past, present and future.

Is it true that Christians (after the initial one-time confession of sins at the time of conversion) don't have to confess their sins anymore since God
has already forgiven their sins—past, present and future?

I am
not trying to “convert” anyone to see things from my perspective. Just sharing.
The Internet is a level playing field. No need to get all heated up inside. Please

don’t perceive it as something specifically directed against you.

What I
hope to achieve is that people will become more open-minded and search the
scriptures for themselves:

“And
the people of Berea were moreopen-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they
listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched
the Scriptures day after day to see
if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth” (Acts 17:11).

"Faith is
good only when it engages truth; when it is made to rest upon falsehood it can
and often does lead to eternal tragedy." – A. W. Tozer

Monday, 25 February 2013

Proponents ofeasy believism support the doctrine of “once saved,
always saved” (OSAS). Once you have accepted Christ, you can relax; you have
bought your ticket to heaven and nothing can change your fate.

There will always be those who
believe in OSAS (once saved always saved). And others who are equally
headstrong and do not believe in OSAS. Both camps, equally strong in their
convictions, have their own blind spots.

We could talk about this dilemma
until the cows come home but, most probably, it wouldn't solve anything.
It is likely that each side will maintain their doctrinal stand.

I am not trying to “convert”
anyone to my side. Just sharing. The Internet is a level playing field. No need
to get heated up or get personal. This is my two cents:

What I hope to achieve is that
people will become more open-minded and search the scriptures for themselves:

“And the people of Berea were moreopen-mindedthan
those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. Theysearched the Scripturesday after day to see if Paul and Silas were
teaching the truth” (Acts 17:11).

"Faith is good only when it engages truth; when it
is made to rest upon falsehood it can and often does lead to eternal tragedy."
– A. W. Tozer

Sunday, 24 February 2013

How a couple nurtured and encouraged their
daughter who was keen to teach.

One of the challenges which Teachers’ Christian Fellowship (TCF) Malaysia faces is the reluctance of many
Christian parents to allow their children to become teachers. Even those who
are teachers themselves actively discourage their children from following their
footsteps. Many young people who are keen to teach fail to join the teaching
profession as their parents want them to go into more lucrative careers like
medicine, law, engineering or accountancy.

TCF sought Dr and Mrs Lim Poh Ann for their views as parents on teaching
as a career for young people. Their daughter, Priscilla Lim, is a teacher in
Pulau Ketam under the first batch of the Teach for Malaysia (TFM) programme.

TCF:Did you actively encourage your
daughter to go into teaching?

Seeing Priscilla's gentleness and her love for children, we did harbour
a desire that she will one day become a pre-school teacher. So we gently
encouraged her along that path. We believe very young children, who are in the
most impressionable years of their lives, should be handled by qualified
teachers.

However, she seems to have found a calling to teach older students.
After her training stint with Youth with A Mission (YWAM) in Sabah, she felt a
strong prompting from God to work under TFM.

TCF: Reflecting on her experience as a teacher
with TFM in Pulau Ketam, do you think she has made the right choice?

We believe she is spiritually sensitive and mature enough to hear from
God personally. It is the right choice if it is God's choice for her – even though the going might be tough.

Frankly, some friends have hinted that we are wasting Priscilla's
potential by encouraging her to go into teaching. But we do not measure her
success according to how much she can earn. We know that God can use her to
touch many young lives as she is a person who loves to give.

Personally, we think TFM is making a tremendous difference in our
country. It has raised the bar to another level as far as setting standards for
the teaching profession is concerned. We also appreciate the leadership
training and exposure that Priscilla receives from TFM.

TCF: How would you advise parents who wish to
encourage their children to go into teaching?

Parents need to impress on their children's mind that teachers can make
a great impact on the lives of the younger generation. They need to gently
nurture in their children a love for teaching and help them to view teaching, not only as a career, but
as a calling. However, the children themselves also need to pray whether it is
God’s will for them to go into teaching.

It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot
tougher to make a difference. – Tom
Brokaw

The above article was first published in the newsletter of Teachers’ Christian
Fellowship (TCF), Malaysia, 2012, Vol 24 Issue 4. Used with permission.

Dear God, you made many, many poor people.I realize, of course, that it's no shame to be
poor.But it's no great honor either!

The most important men in town would come to fawn on me!They would ask me to advise them,Like a Solomon the Wise.And it won't make one bit of difference if I
answer right or wrong.When you're rich, they think you really know!

If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lackTo sit in the synagogue and pray.And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall.And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned
men, several hours every day.That would be the sweetest thing of all.

If I were a rich man,Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.If I were a wealthy man.I wouldn't have to work hard.

This guy is
talking about being rich so that he does not have to work so hard, will be able
to bum around doing nothing in particular (as well as having ample time to pray and
read "holy books"), will have a big home and the respect of the town folks.

Sometimes
we too think that it would be nice indeed to be rich like this farmer.

we realise that the Giver is more important than the gift and we are not mesmerised by the latter that we forget the Source of blessing.

we realise that riches won't help on the day of judgment, but right living
can save us from death (Proverbs 11:4).

we don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough
to know when to quit (Proverbs 23:4).

we are careful to guard ourselves against every kind of greed
because a person's life doesn't consist of the amount of possessions he has (Luke
12:15).

we constantly remind ourselves of Paul’s command to the rich: "Teach those who are rich in this world not to
be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust
should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich
in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with
others.By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a
good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life" (1 Timothy
6:17-19).

FOOTNOTES:

This video merely expresses a poor peasant’s spontaneous outburst
in song and dance when he was facing hard times. We do well not to judge him
for the values he portrays in the video.

We should notmake the pursuit of riches an all-consuming passion. Secondly, we
shouldnotstop working even after we have become rich.

We need to rediscover the sanctity of work. Adam was given
the task of tending the garden and subduing the earth even before he fell into
sin. Work was not a curse in the beginning. It became a curse only after Adam
sinned – “out of the sweat of your brow” you shall earn a living.

To get the full meaning behind this post on prosperity you
will have to read, “Does God want me to be rich?” at http://bit.ly/WGbjZE as well. Otherwise you
might get a wrong lopsided message.